Friday, July 1, 2011

“Two hundred and thirty five years ago Thomas Jefferson penned and the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence declaring the United States of America a sovereign nation. The foundation of the Declaration is the inherent, God given rights of humankind: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness would be granted to all people.

“Fifty Six men, a little band so unique we have never seen their like since, pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Some gave their lives in the war that followed, most gave their fortunes, and all preserved their sacred honor. What manner of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists, eleven were merchants and tradesmen, nine were farmers and all strongly invoked the blessing of God on their efforts. They were soft-spoken men of means and education; they were not an unwashed rabble. They had achieved security but valued freedom more. Their stories have not been told nearly enough. Since then our soldiers have protected these sacred rights on battlefields across the world from the green fields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy to the more recent conflicts in the deserts of Iraq and rugged mountains of Afghanistan.”

“Today we honor the sacrifices of our Founders and our current day Patriots in the military who are standing guard across the world, for our liberty and the opportunities that liberty affords all Americans. On behalf of our Republican Precinct Committeemen and elected officials, I wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July.”